Rescue crews evacuated more than 100 tourists [1] after a heavy snowstorm buried vehicles on a mountain road in the Argentine Andes.

The incident highlights the extreme volatility of high-altitude weather in the region, where rapid snow accumulation can trap travelers and create life-threatening conditions in remote areas.

The storm occurred Tuesday evening, leaving vehicles stranded near the Balcón del Pissis lookout on the road to Fiambala [2], [3]. The snowfall was intense enough to completely bury several cars, blocking the mountain pass and isolating the travelers from emergency services.

Argentina's National Gendarmerie led the response effort. Rescue teams deployed heavy machinery to clear the accumulated snow and reopen the road to allow for the evacuation of those trapped [1], [2].

While the majority of the stranded tourists were rescued safely, the extreme cold led to medical emergencies. Two people were hospitalized for hypothermia following the rescue operation [1].

Footage of the scene was released on July 29, 2026 [2], showing the scale of the snowfall in the Catamarca province [3]. The rescue operation began Tuesday immediately after the storm hit, as crews worked to reach the stranded group before temperatures dropped further.

Authorities coordinated the effort to ensure all tourists were accounted for, and transported away from the high-altitude lookout. The use of heavy equipment was necessary due to the volume of snow that had rendered standard vehicles immobile.

“More than 100 tourists were left stranded”

This event underscores the risks associated with tourism in the high-altitude Andes, where infrastructure can be quickly overwhelmed by sudden weather shifts. The necessity of heavy machinery for a rescue operation indicates that standard emergency responses are often insufficient for the scale of snow accumulation in Catamarca, suggesting a need for stricter travel advisories or improved weather monitoring for tourists visiting the Balcón del Pissis.